Road to the England Test 2025

[jaybro]

Does anyone know if Zim will have any warm up games in England prior to the Test match?

The fixture list on ESPNcricinfo says there isn’t, but it seems crazy to go to England for just one test match, and even crazier to have zero warm up games in preparation for the biggest test match in Zimbabwe’s history (arguably).

[Jemisi]

Yeah, a three day muck around to shake out the cobwebs and then a proper FC match would be a minimum.

[Pat_Bee]

There’s a fixture with a counties select XI the week before, 3 or 4 day, can’t remember which.

[jaybro]

There’s a fixture with a counties select XI the week before, 3 or 4 day, can’t remember which.

Ok that’s something at least. Probably need 2-3 games if not more tbh.

I know it’s going back a long way, but when Zimbabwe toured Australia in 2003, they must have gotten there a month before at least and set up shop in Perth.

I think they 3-4 games to acclimatise to the conditions, and although they gave up a mammoth total in the 1st innings of the first test, their batsman really stood up well over the two matches and they were pretty competitive overall.

They were in a decent position to actually win the 2nd test if they could have converted some of their starts in the second innings, from memory 3-4 guys got to 40 and got out.

Anyways, long tours with 3-4 tours matches are a thing of the past I know.

[Pat_Bee]

There’s not the time for that unfortunately. This warm up game starts less than two weeks after this second Bangladesh test ends. Fly home from there, couple of days in Zim, then off to England most likely.

This current tour was rescheduled from white ball at the start of the month to tests at the ends, at short notice, wasn’t it? Not much they can do in this instance.

[Kriterion_BD]

There’s not the time for that unfortunately. This warm up game starts less than two weeks after this second Bangladesh test ends. Fly home from there, couple of days in Zim, then off to England most likely.

This current tour was rescheduled from white ball at the start of the month to tests at the ends, at short notice, wasn’t it? Not much they can do in this instance.

The current Test series was originally scheduled last year but that got converted to 5 meaningless T20Is. Both boards knew the Tests would be played around April 2025 for the last year.

[Pat_Bee]

Nobody told us until this year though, did they?

[AussieZimFan]

Curran
Bennett
Welch
Williams
Ervine
Raza? If he makes himself available
Tsiga
Matigimu
Ngarava/Evans
Muzarabani
Nyauchi

Four day test on an English greentop means there's no reason to play a spinner, it's not going to turn. If you're ever going to pick Matigimu, the conditions will suit his type of bowling. Quicker may hurry the English batsmen. England will still win easily. Expect a lot of Zimbabwean batsmen to get caught behind or in the slip cordon

[Pat_Bee]

I wouldn’t be taking raza, no ways hey.

He would have been more beneficial in bangers than England but fancied the PSL dollar instead can’t leave your mates to cook in Chittagong then join them for the prestige of Nottingham.

Besides bro has played one red ball game in three or more seasons, can’t even play the picked on merit card.

[Marshmallow]

England squad: Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.

Early prediction : England going to wrap the match in 2 days.